Bryce Canyon National Park

9/9/24 - We only had to drive about 3 hours from the Capitol Reef area to the Bryce Canyon area (both in Utah).

We saw some awesome scenery along the way on Scenic Hwy 12

We checked into Ruby's Inn Campground, which we learned has some history. Reuben Syrett came to the area in 1916 to start a ranch. He didn't know about the amazing scenery nearby until another rancher mentioned it.

Ruby and his family started a "tourist rest" in 1919 and now they dominate the tourist scene here 100+ years / 2 generations later!

We had another nice view from our site. A worker mentioned he saw elk in the field recently.

9/10/24 - A 100 PICTURE DAY! I know Bryce Canyon National Park is popular, and I've seen pictures, but it still blows your mind when you see it in person!

From Sunrise Point in Bryce Canyon

Pat called it "eye candy"

I loved the Queen's Garden and Navajo Loop Trails that allowed us to walk around the bottoms of the hoodoos.

Walking through Wall Street

When a thunderstorm and hail came through, we took shelter for an hour under this rock ledge (conveniently with a bench!). We got to see the nearby wash flood.

After our 6-mile hike, we drove to the end of the 18-mile scenic drive (with Guide Guy 😊). We hiked another mile to see a handful of 1000-year old Bristlecone pine trees before driving back (stopping at a few of the many additional vistas) to Bryce Canyon Lodge (built in 1924) for a nice dinner. We saw a mule deer buck on the way.

After getting back to the RV, we watched the Presidential Debate.

9/11/24 - A quiet day at the RV: organizing pictures on my computer, doing some 2025 trip planning, and a few chores.

9/12/24 - We hiked the 8-mile Fairyland Loop Trail and it lived up to its name!

Another magical adventure walking among the hoodoos

Me walking across a ridge

As Ebenezer Bryce said in 1875, it's "a hell of a place to lose a cow"

We had an awesome pizza dinner in the nearby town of Tropic before relaxing at the RV.

On 9/13, we return to Arizona! We have 3 nights in the Page area to explore the slot canyons and the Colorado River by kayak, before returning home. (I'll post 1-2 more times).